Rescue Squad Celebrates Emergency Medical Services Week, May 20-26, 2007

May 20, 2007

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad celebrates Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week May 20-26, 2007. The theme for the 2007 National EMS Week is “Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Service,” which celebrates the dedication and compassion of the nation’s 750,000 EMS providers, including more than 150 Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.

The Rescue Squad, which has evolved from a one-ambulance department into one of the nation’s most advanced and best trained rescue squads, has racked up a long line of EMS “firsts,” including the first Paramedic in the State of Maryland (in 1974), the first medic unit in Maryland (also in 1974), and the first fire/rescue department in Montgomery County to outfit all of its ambulances with automated external defibrillators (AEDs). An AED is a medical device that analyzes the heart rhythm of a patient in cardiac arrest and, if necessary, administers a lifesaving shock to restore a normal heartbeat.

AEDs are one component of the “chain of survival,” a sequence of events that, if undertaken in a timely fashion, can save the life of a victim in cardiac arrest. The “chain of survival” includes the summoning of EMS, administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by bystanders, use of an AED, administration of emergency medical care by fire and EMS crews, and quick transport to a hospital.

About the Rescue Squad

Now in its 67th year, the B-CC Rescue Squad is a philanthropically operated, community supported organization that provides, at no cost to the recipient, the highest level of emergency medical, rescue, and fire service for the communities of Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. Rescue Squad Paramedics and EMTs responded to 10,875 incidents in 2006, including illnesses, injuries, heart attacks, vehicle collisions, house fires, and many other emergencies. Through the use of 150 professionally trained EMTs, Paramedics, and Firefighters, the Rescue Squad saves area taxpayers $3 million in personnel costs alone.

Click here to learn about joining the men and women who are dedicated to serving the community as volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and Firefighters.

Click here for more information about the Rescue Squad and its services.

Photo: Rescue Squad crews simulate a rescue during a recent demonstration entitled “Every 15 Minutes” at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. After cutting off the roof of a car and unbending crushed metal to gain access to the victims inside, the Squad’s crew carefully extricates the patients, provides medical care, and transfers them to a waiting ambulance for transport to a hospital. All Rescue Squad members are professionally trained to provide emergency medical care at the scene and on the way to the hospital.

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